Tasogare Otome x Amnesia - First Impression

Title: Dusk Maiden of Amnesia (黄昏乙女×アムネジア)
Genre: Mystery, Horror, Romance, Supernatural, Comedy

Summary:
60 years ago, a young woman was left to die in the abandoned school building behind the exclusive Seikyou Academy. No one knows why. No one knows how. But the horrifying tale and the legends of the ghostly haunting that followed live on to this day. Perhaps it's not so surprising then, that among Seikyou's many school clubs is one for students interested in "paranormal investigations." What might raise more than a few hairs, however, is that the founder of the club is the ghost herself. Unable to remember how she died and trapped in the grey land between life and death, Yuuko latches onto Teiichi Niiya, a freshman who can inexplicably see her, and together they and the other unsuspecting members of the club begin to unravel the many dark mysteries that surround Seikyou. Will unlocking the secret of Yuuko's gruesome death finally free her? Or will her sudden close association with a mortal have even stranger repercussions on both of their existences?

Another series with an interesting premise. This time instead of a kawaii zombie we have one hot ghost but still.....they're both dead T_T. To tell you the truth I'm not expecting much from the story since it only revolves around finding clues on why and how Yuuko died. Four episodes in, the story isn't moving at all since so far all the characters did is to get involve in various school mysteries that involves our ghost but instead of acquiring clues all they got were just explanation why that mystery happened (though the explanation/reasons are really hilarious because it is mostly due to our ghost's pranks). Maybe the first few eps are just for build up and meeting new characters but its only a 12 ep anime so I think they shouldn't be wasting any time. Hmmmm maybe I watched this show with a different expectation (I expected a serious horror anime with romance but it was really a comedy...how the hell did I miss that? ) that's why I have those rants but when I've set my expectations in the right path, I'll say that this show is doing great since with every episodes I watch, it never failed to make me laugh (imagine trying to stifle my laugh at 3am in the morning so that I won't wake up people sleeping wwww). I watched this in a dark room expecting to get scared and it did scare me...scared me that I'll get scolded for waking up my parents wwww. This show’s take on why people see ghost differently and why some people can’t see ghosts is very interesting. So far this show have been very successful un entertaining me but I want the show to get back on the plot. Sure I’m enjoying it but what matter to me most is the plot and it’s a pity since as the series progress, the focus have been more on the light hearted mysteries and character build up than getting back on track with the plot.

Just like other male lead this season, Amnesia also have one bland character. Just like other male lead on your generic harem show, Teiichi doesn’t do anything when he’s being sexually harassed by our mischievous ghost (I think he enjoys it anyway….I envy this guy >.<) and so far doesn’t contribute much to the story. The girls of the harem are more interesting than the male lead (is he really the protagonist?). Yuuko is the ghost that make this show interesting since because of her antics, advances to Teiichi (what a lolicon wwww did you know Teiichi is only 12 years old?) and her mysterious death (I hope this show won’t forget to tackle this part). My favorite scene so far is when Teiichi found her skeleton and I thought she’ll go berserk and attack him but instead she was embarrassed because she said seeing her skeleton is like seeing her naked (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o))) wwwwwwwww. Kirie is another interesting character since in ep 5 it is revealed that she’s an insecure person on the inside which is contrary to my first impression of her. Momoe is also fun to watch since she has this ‘genki’ (energetic) attitude but she pales in comparison with the two girls I mentioned before but still, good job for the waitress costume you put on Kirie.

OMG SHAFT is that you? Nope…Silver Link is the one who animated this but it seriously looks and feels like Shaft with the way the still frames and camera angles are being directed and animated. Surprisingly, the style fits the series and is successful in setting the atmosphere right may it be comedy or eerie scenes. The character designs are lovely (Man, Yuuko and Kirie looks gorgeous) and the colors specially the color of dusk which is orange and in contrast with the black (which is frequently used in the series) is also very nice to my eyes.

The OP("CHOIR JAIL (クワイア ジェイル)" by Konomi Suzuki) and ED("Calendrier (カランドリエ)" by Aki Okui) song is also very misleading just like the summary of this series. The overall feel is like your going to watch a horror-mystery series with that very solid voice work and eerie arrangement. I like both songs but I prefer the OP more because its very upbeat as for the ED it sounds eerie and melancholic. The OP and ED animation is also commendable with its very fluid animation, very good direction and it looks like I’m watching music video. Another reason is I’m very fond of OP and ED animation where the main characters lip synch with the song.

A very entertaining series mainly because of the comedy and quirky characters but plot-wise I’m quite disappointed because its not moving at all. I’m just hoping the writers could pull off a good ending or else I’ll be definitely pissed since they’ve wasted the potential of the series or hopefully they’ll get back in track with the story. Oh btw to those who are not used with fanservice this show won’t be your cup of tea but if you like comedy and an interesting premise I guess you can try and watch this show but I won’t guarantee a good ending.

**I’ll be taking a break with writing first impressions next week but instead I’ll be posting a review and I’m choosing between Ano Natsu and Rinne no Lagrange. Oh and vote for me in the Aniblogtourney the polls are still open. Thanks! 

until then…

~ja